# Panna Ugrai Nears Katinka Hosszú’s Medal Record at Hungarian Championships Ugrai secures eight individual golds as young talents set new national age records. - **Source:** [SwimSwam](https://swimswam.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-07 - **Topic:** [sports](https://brifing.si/c/sports) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/950805b0-c880-4c30-9da3-a0099b90f2f9 ## Championships Conclude in Kaposvár The 2026 Hungarian Short Course Championships concluded at the Csik Ferenc Swimming Pool in Kaposvár. The four-day event showcased the nation's top swimming talent, despite Hungary opting not to send a full official contingent to the upcoming Short Course World Championships in Beijing, excluding Olympic champions Hubert Kos and Kristof Milak. ## Ugrai’s Dominant Medal Haul 22-year-old Panna Ugrai nearly surpassed the legendary medal record held by Katinka Hosszú. Ugrai secured eight individual gold medals across various freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley events. Additionally, she contributed to five relay medals, marking a highly successful campaign that places her among the nation's elite swimming record holders. ## Kesely Wins Fierce 800m Ajna Kesely claimed gold in the women’s 800m freestyle with a time of 8:23.68. She narrowly defeated teenager Vivien Jackl, who finished just 0.11 seconds behind. Both swimmers were the only competitors in the field to break the 8:31 barrier, demonstrating a high level of endurance and tactical pacing throughout the race. ## International Presence in Breaststroke The men’s 50m breaststroke was dominated by Austrian swimmers Christopher Rothbauer and Valentin Bayer, who took the top two spots. David Horvath was the fastest Hungarian, earning bronze with a personal best of 26.97 seconds. This event highlighted a current competitive gap for Hungarian men in this specific short course discipline. ## New National Age Records Bence Kenderella set a new Hungarian Age Record in the 50m breaststroke, clocking 27.78 seconds to improve upon his own mark from last month. Meanwhile, 18-year-old David Antal broke Hubert Kos’s 2021 national age record in the 200m backstroke, finishing in 1:52.64 to secure the gold medal in a competitive field. ## Strategic Performance Adjustments Eszter Szabo-Feltothy won the women’s 200m backstroke in 2:06.49 despite not being in peak physical condition. She utilized a morning 'ansatz' strategy, a mathematical approach to predict final results, to determine if she could handle the final. Her success demonstrated the effectiveness of calculated pacing and mental preparation during the meet. ## Endurance Focus for Marton Richard Marton secured gold in the men’s 100m butterfly with a time of 51.14 seconds. Reflecting on his performance, Marton noted that while his speed remains a work in progress following struggles in October, his endurance levels have shown significant improvement, which he plans to incorporate into his future training and competition cycles. ## Future Competitive Outlook The championships served as a critical testing ground for Hungarian swimmers outside the limited Beijing-bound squad. With young athletes like Antal and Kenderella breaking age records, the depth of the national talent pool remains strong. Coaches will now analyze these results to refine training programs and address specific discipline weaknesses moving forward. ## Sources covering this story - https://swimswam.com/panna-ugrai-nearly-takes-down-katinka-hosszus-medal-reaping-record-at-hun-sc-championships/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._